Rise of the Zephyrinian
by Shadowreaper113
Summary: There is a darkness creeping from the shadows that threaten both the human world and the monster world. A select few shall rise up to fight against the darkness. Will they succeed or will the darkness devour both worlds.


Prologue

"Tsukune, do you have everything you need?" Yukari asked looking at Tsukune.

"Tsukune, do you know when you'll be back from your training?" Kurumu asked.

"No I don't, Issa said it'll be quite a while before we'll be back though." I said looking at everyone who was there with me at the bus stop.

"Isn't it a bit sudden that you're leaving so soon? I thought you weren't leaving for a couple more months." Moka said.

"Issa said that just as a precautionary that it's better if we begin the training now and that being on the move will keep me safe for the time being." I said explaining the sudden change in plans.

"So what kind of training are you going to do?" Mizore asked.

"Issa said that first we're going to train me to become accustomed to fighting in different terrains and after that I don't know he wouldn't tell me." I said scratching the back of my head. Admittedly, I didn't want to admit the threats on my life for the sake of worrying anybody, so I casually shrugged off their questions with the answer that I would be going on a training exercise.

"So why can't we tag along with you?" Kurumu, Moka and Yukari had all asked in unison drawing several confused looks.

"They're right." Mizore chimed in, "It's unlike you not to bring us along."

"Because Issa thinks it'll be better if it's just the two of us, that way we remain undetected." I said. In the next moment the bus pulled up and the doors opened showing Issa standing there with some luggage.

"Let's go." Issa said.

"I promise to come back stronger." I said and with that I bid my friends farewell, stepped on the bus, and was on my way to become stronger.

Chapter 1

Humiliation

My name is Shade Rose I'm 18, and have black hair, caramel skin, and emerald eyes.

"Hey kid, what's up the black robes and that oak staff you're carrying, are you a monk or something?" the bus driver asked.

"I guess you could say that I am on a pilgrimage to see the world and its wonders." I said.

"Oh, you're one of those peaceful types, huh? I haven't seen your ilk in a long, long time." the bus driver said mysteriously.

"Huh, what do you mean?" I asked confused.

"You'll figure it out in due time." he spoke, tipping his hat back to me. As if on cue, the bus came to an abrupt stop in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere.

"Why'd we stop" I asked.

"We're here." He announced.

"Well it's different than what I'm used to, but that's the world for you I guess." I said looking at the school in the distance. At the moment I hear the bus diver chuckling as he drives away and a faint good luck. I began walking to the school and within a few minutes was within the woods that led up to the school, when I saw something in the distance. That thing was several feet in the air above the grove of trees that cluttered the near barren wasteland that was the school grounds. Leaving the strangest trail of mist as he surfed a cluster of crystals that seemed to propel him forward. Almost as if riding a wave of water, the thought seemed almost appealing. Unfortunately, everything wasn't as good as I might've thought because the board of ice that kept the figure afloat seemed to splutter in and out, until eventually the ice and trail it left entirely dissipated. Leaving nothing but the lone figure to crash into the earth before them.

"Hey are you alright?" I asked rushing up to the figure to help him.

And without hesitation he grasped my hand and propped himself back up. Yes, it was a male. A male of rather unremarkable proportions, same as I. I had to spare a glance upwards to take in his features: Amber eyes and bone dry hair that almost matched the complexion of his skin. Yet, in spite of those features his face the picture of innocence, if not friendliness only complimented by the smile he gave me as a way of thanks.

"Broke all the bones in my body, one of them probably punctured my heart. I'll live." He replied, in a voice dripping with sarcasm. His voice was also calm and soothing.

"What was that that you were doing before you fell on your face?" I asked in awe.

"Element surfing, don't tell me you never tried it?" He cracked. "Well, it's a little harder with fire, water and wind. No, seriously don't try it with wind you'll kill yourself."

"I don't think it's that hard, see." I said surfing circles around him using the wind.

Shooting me an expression of disbelief, he raised his voice. "In all my years of mage craft and I haven't been able to perform something so simple, what a shameful display." He grasped at his heart and keeled as if in deep pain.

"Well I don't know what mage craft is but I've been able to use the wind since I was born. I'm a Zephyrinian. I come from Zephyr it's a place of nature and peace with amazing technology." I said explaining.

"Oh, so you're not a mage?" He stood back up to his full height and crossed his arms "Well, I guess that's my explanation for the robes and staff out the door." He spoke in a contrast, unlike me he wore a slim buttoned uniform that followed a general theme of black and white.

"The robes and staff are a parting gift for those who wish to see the world. I guess I should probably get a uniform." I said walking alongside my new friend.

"If you want I guess, not like anybody actually enforces the actual thing." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I should probably get some new clothes so I don't stand out. Oh right by the way my name is Shade Rose nice to meet ya." I said holding out my hand.

"Introductions are too mainsteam." He joked, "In all seriousness, my names Lucian Teviel, but I suppose Lu will suffice. Too fancy for my tastes. C-Class mage, at your service." He refused to shake my hand, and merely offered a small bow in exchange.

"C-Class?" I asked.

"Mediocre, average, uh …" He seemed to be struggling for more terms that described this incredibly exquisite and unique word but his train of thought was abruptly interrupted as he stumbled over his feet. Falling hands first to the ground, as if triggering a cataclysmic earthquake that chained into a thunderous explosion that echoed in the distance.

"Oh, guess I need to lose some weight." Which was a funny thought given he looked like a skeleton enough already.

"What the hell was that?" I said looking around for the source pretending like he didn't make the comment. Lu's eyes flared and his facial expression stiffened. Propping himself up, he had cut out the prior allusions of humor and spoke

"That spike of energy wasn't any normal, surely you felt it too, didn't you?"

"No I didn't feel anything but the ground shake." I said scratching my head in confusion. Unfortunately that reply only earned a downcast stare from the male in question before he spun on his heel.

"Follow me." He said running off towards where the explosion came from. I just shook my head and followed him after a minute and by the time I caught up to him he had already arrived at the destination.

Lu's Perspective

"Quite the stage, quite the scene." Amidst a crowd of cheering spectators having come in from a clearing from the forest I had found a spot free of the usual rift-raft. Staring out a grand courtyard filled with dozens watching at a safe distance. A spectacle of the grandest sort deserving of the deafening cheers of the audience. A fight between a Vampire, Succubus and Snow Fairy. From what I could gather both the nameless Succubus and snow girl were working together to bring down the vampire, yet the odds were still stacked against the duo.

"I guess this is our orientation party, Shade." I beckoned for my accomplice as I continued to watch the fight. A relentless fury meted out by the vampire in the form of a flurry of consecutives kicks. The succubus wasn't any slouch either by the looks of it, swiftly and nimbly executing dodging every single of those explosive strikes that I was almost certain would shatter any normal person.

"But we aren't normal people, are we?" I murmured under my breath. And the snow girl's own combat prowess was a strong testament to that. Just as the Succubus had performed a prompt dodge in a moment's notice so did the Snow Fairy leap in her stead. A curtain of thick ice had shielded her arms and hands in the visage of icy talons. Durable enough to act as a shield from the frenzied forceful of each individual kick that only managed to chip away at Snow Fairy's defense.

Taking the vampire's recoil as an opportune moment to strike, the snow fairly surged forward with the gauntlets of ice with speed unfitting of their stature as such unwieldy weapons. Nicking the Vampire on the cheek, spontaneously eliciting the loudest of cheer of a single name known as "Mizore!" and I couldn't help but want to cheer alongside them. Unfortunately the victory was short lived, and without hesitation the vampire struck back with brutal ferocity. Another kick faster than the last and Mizore raised the veil of ice to her defense once more, only this time it had shattered just short of touching her arm. Repeating the same motion as the Succubus before her, "Mizore" leapt back to avoid further retaliation.

"Is this an actual fight, or a war of attrition?" I asked myself out loud, running a hand through my white fringe of hair. Again the Succubus took the place of her only companion, except this time the exhaustion was obvious. There was a gradual decline in the Succubus's movements as each dodge came slower than the last. Even the crowd was on edge watching this development, and I had made a mental bet that one of them was going to walk out hurt.

My bet was nothing less than spot on. A nifty play on the part of the vampire feigned another a kick only to last out with her fist nailing the succubus straight in the stomach. The empowered screams of the crowd drowned out any noises of battle and two segments of the crowd screamed. One cheering on "Moka", and another crying out for "Kurumu".

Yes, the impact had "Kurumu" sliding back from the explosive force of the attack. The Vampire "Moka" remained in pursuit. Lurching forward with another devastating kick which Mizore was all too happy to intercept. Unfortunately for the Snow Fairy the concussive force and momentum of the kick shattered the thick of the ice and tossed her back alongside the Succubus.

At this point, I rolled my eyes and already knew this battle had been decided. I tossed a single hand in the air, and spun on my heel.

"Yeah, this battle is ov- … Shade?" I spared a glance at my surroundings, and even my senses failed me. It seemed my companion had vanished into thin air which was fairly ironic given his element.

Ears twitching, a familiar voice cut through the crowd and I did a complete 180 back to my perched position to watch a familiar face rushing into the fray. "Wait! Stop! Can't you ju-…" Shade said rushing into the battle headfirst into a powerful kick that Moka had been delivering. The resulting impact had sent him soaring straight into a concrete wall, and probably somewhere past it.

Moka have being taken off-guard by the ample distraction provided by the walking punching bag, the two ladies did something completely unexpected. They looked at each other with a solid understanding, grasping each other's hands Mizore on the right, Kurumu on the left. A palpable air tension corrupted the air. Magic, an abundance of it. So much so that it almost became suffocating.

Mizore raised her hand, and the area became chilled. A mass of ice slowly came into existence without delay. Kurumu soon followed, raising her own hand and a burst of magic enshrouded the growing mass of ice in a vivid white smoke that cleared as soon as it came. The small mass of ice had soon become a towering behemoth of its former self. I blinked. It left quite the impression on me. Nothing compared to the impression it would leave on the ground as it sailed through the air at speeds deceiving of its size. Colliding against both the vampire and the ground with enough force to leave a crater, Mizore and Kurumu simultaneously leaping back to avoid the glacier shattered into a hailstorm of icicles that melted briskly into … water?!

"Divine Rain Waltz!" They declared in unison as the vampire was showered in a blistering cold rain that dispersed into an incredibly large radius. Subconsciously I raised my arm and took a single step back to avoid being pelted with hail and water, and I couldn't help but chuckle on how drenched closer-by onlookers of the fight might've been. No one seemed to mind though, the crowd itself was frozen in anticipation. A soft haze, and a faint drizzle obscured where the vampire once stood.

Through the mist, stood a single silhouette unmoving. For the moment I had sworn, as well as the crowd, that the vampire had taken the brunt of the attack unfazed. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, and once the fog had cleared, the sound of crackling electricity came into mind, and Moka had crumpled onto one knee visibly weakened as that electricity circled her body in concentrated bursts.

Even then her two opponents seemed to spare little sympathy for the vampire in her weakened state. The succubus, Kurumu snapped her fingers and from the ground beneath Moka birthed several illusionary chains that entangled around Moka. Mizore had followed up, merciless – Raising a single hand towards the vampire, as a wave of ice enveloped Moka.

"Good game." I turned my head away from the scene and moved to find my probably dead accomplice, I had sincerely hoped his body was still in one piece. Luckily, it didn't take much effort to follow the destructive imprint of his body, and his body itself. Sprawled out, half-dead and unconscious. A devilish smirk, and a cross of my arms. A fang crept out my smile, and I let out another joyous laughter.

Shade's Perspective

The dull sound of wood sliding against wood, and the quiet ponderous hum of a man burdened by thought filled the surrounding area. I awoke to see Lu playing chess right beside the bed. I looked over at him questioningly. He seemed to be moving the same pawn piece back, before finally deciding on moving the adjacent piece forward in its stead. "Oh, done with your nap? It's your move." He murmured, returning his hand to his side still deeply pondering the further ramifications of his current play against me.

"Okay, but what the hell happened, and why does my head hurt as if a bomb went off in it." I said moving a piece before grabbing my head in slight agony.

"Couple hours ago. Big Fight. You intercepted a blow. I carried you here to the infirmary. Been asleep ever since. Check." He spoke in brief choppy phrases, seemingly careless about the prior events that I couldn't remember.

Suddenly his disposition had changed and his face took an inquisitive turn. Before I could ask him what was wrong, the abrupt sound of the entryway door sliding open had cut through the silence between us.

We both craned our heads to the doorway and saw that same fierce vampire I had made an acquaintance with just not too long ago.

"Moka Akashiya." I heard Lu mutter under his breath, was that hostility I heard in his voice? I didn't have much time to think over it, as she marched over to me with discreet urgency, seemingly ignoring my white-haired companion.

"Um, hi." I said not really knowing what to say. I wanted to run but I chose not to. For the moment she eyed me carefully, before finally deciding to speak. Well, it was less of a word and more of a long sigh.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"Well I'm alive so it's alright." I said scratching the back of my head.

"Hardly." Lu chimed in. I looked over and glared at him, he only turned his head to the side and starting innocently whistling. _Bastard._

She heaved a heavy sigh of relief and stretched her limbs, seemingly ignorant of Lu's prior comment.

"Thank goodness nobody was supposed to get hurt. It started out as a simple sparring match that quickly escalated into a full on fight. It's been a little hectic without my mate here because usually he keeps the peace and he's been gone for a month now." She yawned, beginning to make her leave. "You two are new here right? If so, stop by the newspaper club and we'll show you around. My name is Moka Akashiya." She moved back to the door, and politely bowed her head. "Excuse me." and left. I turned my head to look at Lu, but he was gone too. I muttered bastard underneath my breath.

?'s Perspective

"He's gone, Mr. Demon."

"I'm aware, and I thought I asked you not to address me by that, Pyry."

A lonesome wind greeted them on the roof of the school, overlooking the grand yard in the distance the two disheveled figures bickered back and forth.

"So why don't you strike? The time is perfect!" A third came.

"Tempest, you of all people should know there are still more threats left over in this school than that man. Even if he's gone it would be naïve of me to try for it now." Mr. Demon spoke, semi-disgruntled.

The twin elemental mages scoffed, "Mr. Demon, you're so boring." They spoke in unison.

"Both of you, patience! For the glory of my race, and the redemption of those who fell for us. Even if it was just for those I cared for." Nostalgia had painted Mr. Demon's expression, and voice grew pained. Even the two boyish elementals fell silent at this revelation. A moment of silence had passed before any of them had tried to break the silence.

"Both of you, don't let me down." Mr. Demon murmured, shaking his head and resuming his regular facade. "After all, I do have a student's life to live." He smiled, sticking his tongue out at the two before they returned the gesture. "Either way, I've left a couple of gifts for both of you in the infirmary. Until then."

He strolled past the twins and dismissively waved them off.

Shade's Perspective

I had been searching for about fifteen minutes before I finally found Lu over by the dorms staring at it. I walked up to him but he seemed to already know I was there.

"Took you long enough." He yawned, cupping his mouth with his hand before continuing. "What took you?"

"I was talking to Moka but you already know that don't you?" I asked walking alongside him with my hand behind my head. I pulled out two pieces of wood and said, "It seems I need to buy another staff because when I went through the wall and landed it broke in half."

"Friendly warning, I don't recommend associating yourself with her. I know that's coming from left-field, but I don't trust her." He gave me a sharp glare, but eventually his expression softened and eyes focused back on the building in front of us.

"She doesn't seem that bad and she even offered to show us around. Let's give her a chance, who knows it might be fun." I said thinking that today has been one hell of a first day.

"That's unfortunate." Lu let out a raspy sigh. "But I suppose that's just fate. We each play out the role we're given, and I guess there's no avoiding that. Isn't that right?"

"I guess but I believe we make our own fate." I said. "Let's go check out the dorms and the rooms that we get sound good."

"Lead the way, Shade." An exaggerated hand gesture that inclined me to lead the way. We headed into the dorm and we made it to the wing we were assigned.

"So what room is yours?" I asked looking at all the rooms.

Lu began fishing in his pocket to dig out a crumpled note that revealed a hastily scribbled set of numbers. It didn't take long to find his room which was perfectly adjacent to two others. "I guess it's here." I looked at the numbers on the door then looked at the door to the left and smiled.

"Well it seems my room is right to yours." I said.

"So we're neighbors then?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

"Guess so well then goodnight Lu." I said heading into the room.

"And you Shade." And like that, he vanished into his own room.

Chapter 2

A New Start

Lu's Perspective


End file.
